“The infant industry argument is a smoke screen,” wrote Milton and Rose Friedman in their 1979 classic, Free to Choose. “The so-called infants never grow up.” And several years later, the two wrote: “Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.” [1]
Previous posts have documented the “permanent subsidies” of industrial wind power (14 extensions) and of solar power (15 extensions). [2] Add nuclear liability protection to this list, although the technology has long been declared safe by the industry and its proponents.
The Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act of 1957 became law as Section 170 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. It was supposed to be a ten-year window to allow commercial nuclear power to prove its economy and safety. But the so-called Price-Anderson Act–capping damage claims “to protect the public and to encourage the development of the atomic energy industry”–is still with us, some two-thirds of a century later.…
The July Fourth week will be energetic coming and going. The celebration is another reminder that modern life revolves activities that naturally emit the “gas of life”—carbon dioxide.
Peak demand? No, just the opposite. Record driving, flying, and cruising; Record grilling; Record fireworks.
Driving
“Nearly 71 Million People Expected to Travel over July 4th Week,” the American Automobile Association predicts. “This year’s extended Independence Day forecast exceeds pre-pandemic numbers, sets new record.” Here is the full story:
AAA projects a record 60.6 million people will travel by car over Independence Day week – that’s an additional 2.8 million travelers compared to last year. This year’s number also surpasses 2019 when 55.3 million people traveled by car over July 4th week….
Affordability? Still strong despite Biden’s best efforts to reduce oil supplies.…
“It’s an election year. The mainstream media (including the news side of the WSJ) is in the tank for climate alarmism, forced energy transformation, and a Biden reelection. Reader Beware!”
“Millions of Americans Brace for Dangerous Heat Wave, Record-Breaking Temperatures,” wrote Gareth Vipers for the Wall Street Journal (June 18, 2024). “Triple-digit temperatures are expected across much of the Midwest, mid-Atlantic and New England.”
Doug Sheridan graded the news article:
Last week, after a news article warned of almost 70 MM people coming under threat of extreme heat in the US Midwest and Northeast, we posted our intention to audit the accuracy of the article and forecast by examinating the actual temps recorded after the fact. Here’s a link to that June 18th post.
Well, last week has come and gone, and we’ve completed the audit.…